Toy for making pictures and designs



Aug. 30, 1960 M. o. F'IXEN TOY FOR MAKING PICTURES AND DESIGNS Filed July 11, 1957 Arro RNE vs Patented Aug. 36, 1960 TOY FOR MAKING PICTURES AND DESIGNS Martin O. Fixen, 2924 43rd Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn.

Filed July 11, 1957, Ser. No. 671,314

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-174) This invention relates to a toy device for making pictures or designs of various kinds.

It is an object of this invention to provide a device including a stationary plate-like member with a circular opening therethrough, a second member disposed in said opening and rotatable therein having a plurality of openings therethrough, said openings having both curved and rectilinear sides so that a piece of paper can be disposed beneath said member so that said member can be rotated to different positions, and figures traced on said paper by moving a pencil about the edges of said openings or portions of said edges to produce a great many designs or pictures of diflerent kinds, one of said openings preferably being circular in form, and a second member disposed in said last mentioned opening being rotatable therein and having a plurality of openings of dilferent shapes therein.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a device as set forth in the preceding paragraph, in which said first mentioned member is secured to a base member having a top fiat surface, said first mentioned member being spaced a short distance from said base and having a shoulder at one side against which the rectilinear edge of a piece of paper may be disposed, said paper being disposed between said first mentioned member and base.

It is another object of the invention to provide such a device as set forth in the above stated first object in which said second rotatable member also has one of the openings therethrough of polygonal form and another member fitting in said polygonal opening and having a plurality of openings therethrough.

It is still another object of the invention to provide such a device as set forth in said first stated object in which the first mentioned stationary member is provided with means for holding a piece of paper in place beneath said rotatable member, said means also acting to release said paper.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the device of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a rather small plate-like member used having a plurality of openings therethrough;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another plate-like member used, the same also having a plurality of openings therethrough;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a segmental plate member adapted to be received in member 11;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modification comprising a stationary plate member used, the same being provided with means for holding a piece of paper in place;

Fig. 7 is a vertical section taken on line 77 of Fig. 6 as indicated by the arrows; and

Fig. 8 illustrates a picture which has been made with the device.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the device comprises a base member 10, and while this might take various forms, it is shown as a block of rectangular form. While member 10 could be made of various materials, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated it is shown as being made of wood. Member 10 has a flat top surface to which is secured a member 11, the same being of plate-like form, and in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the same is secured to base 10 by the spaced screws 12. Member 11 is of the form shown in Fig. 1 and the undersurface thereof is spaced slightly from the top surface of base 10, and while this might be variously accomplished, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated a rather thin plate member 14 is disposed under the top portion of member 11, the same having a rectilinear edge 14a which forms in effect a shoulder. Member 14 is held in place by the screws 12 which pass therethrough. Member 11 has therein a Circular opening 11a. The wall of the opening 11a is at right angles to the flat top surface of member 11. The bottom edge of member 11 is beveled upwardly, as seen in Fig. 2. A member 16 is disposed in opening 11a, the same fitting therein and being rotatable in said opening 11a. Member 11 is provided adjacent opening 11a with a plurality of graduations 11b. Member 16 adjacent its edge is also provided with a plurality of graduations 16a which in some positions of member 16 align with the graduations 11b. Member 16 is provided with a plurality of openings 16b therethrough, said openings being of different shapes, the sides of said openings including both curved and rectilinear lines. Said sides are beveled so that they have surfaces sloping downwardly and inwardly. Plate 11 also has extending therethrough a plurality of small holes illustrated as located ona line radial to member 11. One of the openings 16b which is specifically designated 16121 is of circular form. Opening 16b1 is adapted to receive a circular plate member 17, the same having substantially the thickness of member 16. Member 17 is provided with a plurality of openings 170, said openings being of different shapes and the sides thereof including both curved and rectilinear lines. Said sides are also beveled as are the sides of openings 16b. Another of the openings 16b which is specifically designated 16b2 is of polygonal shape. Said opening 16112 is adapted to receive a member 20 which fits in opening 16122 and is of substantially the same thickness as member 16. Member 20 is also provided with a plurality of openings 20a which extend therethrough and the sides of which also include both curved and rectilinear lines. Said sides are also beveled as are the sides of openings 16b. A member 21 is also provided which is of a shape to partially fit within opening 11a, the same being in the form of a segment. Member 21 also has a plurality of openings 21a extending therethrough, the sides of said openings also including curved and rectilinear lines, said sides also having downwardly beveled edges.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modification of member 11. Said modification includes a member 22 which is substantially of plate-like form, the lower portion thereof being identical with the lower portion of member 11. The upper portion of member 22 has projecting parts 22a formed as spaced connected tabs which include the lower part 22b and an upper part 220, said upper part being connected to part 22b by a narrow neck portion 22d. Member 22 will preferably be made of plastic material which is resilient. The side portions of the neck portion 22d are rectilinear.

In the operation of the device shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the same will be placed on a suitable support, such as a table. A sheet of paper will be disposed between memrotatable member 16 will be disposed in any suitable position and lines will be drawn on said sheetof paper by moving a pencil about the wall of one of the openings 16b. The pencil need not be moved entirely about said wall as in making many figures it will. only be moved about a certain portion of said wall; Plate 16' can then be rotated to bring a portion of another openingin posi tion so that aline drawn about the wall thereof will or parts of aplurality ofthe openings, shown in member 16. One of such pictures are shown in Fig. 8. 'Mern-- ber 16 can be rotated to bring one or both. openings adjacent lines already drawn and member 17 can be rotated into the desired position to use a pencil in some of the openings 17c or 20:: to get the desired results. Holes 16c can be used for receiving a pencil to rotate member 16 or to make concentric circles. It will be seen that an 7 7 almost endless number of pictures and designs maybe made. 'While members 11 and 16 could be made of various materials, in practice they have been made of plastic.

Member 16 can be removed from the openingin mem ber 11 and member 21 substituted therefor. Pictures or designs can then be made using the straight edge of member 21 and one or more of openings 21a.

The members 11 and 16 can be used without the base member 10. In the. form shown in Fig. 6, the piece of paper will be placed beneath member 22 which Will'have members 16 therein and the paper can be disposed with one straight edge against the lower sides ofthe neck portions 22d. Parts 220 can be pressed upon'and the lower ends thereof will be raised so that the paper can be disposed thereunder. When said pressure is relieved, parts 220 Will return to the position shown and the paper will be clamped between such parts and the main portion of member 22..

Itwill thus be seen that I have provided a very simple, and yet a very .useful and desirable toy. The same can be used for people of all ages although it is principally designed forchildren andyounger persons. The operation of the device is interesting and entertaining and one can become quite skilled in producing original pictures. The device has been amply demonstrated in actual practice, found to be very successful and efficient, and procedure is under way to market the same commercially.

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The beveled edges of the openings 16b, 20a, 17c, and 21a facilitate the use of a pencil in said holes. The beveling forms a thin edge against which the pencil is placed. It will of course be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying'out the objects above set forth, in the parts and combinationsof parts disclosed and defined in the' appended claims.

What is claimed is: 1. A device for drawing designs having incombination, a plate member having a circular opening therein, a member having a plurality of various shaped openings therein being rotatably disposable in said opening, a pair of transversely spaced upper tabs extending upwardly from said plate member being integral therewith and first tabs and being in the plane of said plate member, resilient neck portions substantially centrally longitudinally of said upper tabs connecting said upper and lower tabs, said lower tabs having their inner ends respectively abut the shoulders formed by said ofisetportions Whereby when the free ends of said'upper tabs are depressed,

said olfset portions and the entire lowerportion'of said plate member are raised away from said, inner ends of be placed between said spaced tabs for gripping engagement between, said lower tabs and said shoulders when the free ends of said upper tabs are released.

2. A device for drawing designs having in combination, a resilient plate member having acircular opening therein, a member having a plurality of various shaped openings therein being rotatably disposable in said open ing, said plate member having an upwardly extending inner sides of said tabs and gripped against said shoulder by the lower side of said tabs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jordan Feb. 5, 1952 Henry Oct. 9, 1951 

